Boiler Water Level Problem?

wanttolearn

My house runs on steam radiators that are fed by a boiler in the basement. We installed the boiler approx 6 years ago, and have had no problems with it.

A few days ago, I fired up the system for the first time this season, and after approx 30 minutes of being on, i heard steam hammer sounds and a few minutes later noticed a large quantity of dirty brown water spill out of one of the radiator vents closest to the boiler. I turned the system off and a few days have passed since then.

I researched the issue last night on the internet, and several sites suggested the water level in my boiler is too high. i went to the boiler in the basement and, yes, according to the water gauge there was too much water in the boiler because the gauge was filled to the very top. So I started to empty water from the boiler using the tap at the top of the boiler.

I emptied about two bucketfuls of water, but the gauge was still filled to the very top. as I was about to empty a third bucket, the green light of the low water level shutoff valve went on. I immediately stopped emptying water and after approx 30 seconds the green light went off again.

I am very confused by why the green light went on. if the water level is accurate, then there is still far too much water in the boiler. Here are my various questions:

1. is it likely that my water guage is "stuck" and not showing an accurate reading? how can i test if it is working properly?
2. if the guage is accurate, why is the green light going on even though the water level seems to be too high?
3. normally speaking, how many buckets of water should i be emptying before i see a change in the level of water boiler? my boiler is fairly large, so it probably has above average water capacity.
4. should i ignore the green light and continue emptying water to see what happens, or do i risk damage to my boiler?

Thanks for any helpful suggestions!

Steamhead

Is that a CycleGuard low-water cutoff?

wanttolearn

yes it is

Steamhead

That was a coincidence. The green light signifies the periodic check to see if the water is foaming, by shutting down the burner circuit. This happens even if the burner is off.

If the yellow light comes on, that indicates low water.

wanttolearn

ok thanks, so i will keep emptying water until water level returns to normal. does it make sense that i have already emptied 2 buckets of water and have not seen a change in the level meter yet?

Steamhead

That is certainly possible. To be on the safe side, turn the power off to the boiler while draining it. Then turn it on when the water level is correct.

I suspect the water feeder is leaking. Have it checked and replaced if necessary.